Anderson, Braves slip by slumping Yanks with 4 hits, win 4-1

<p>NEW YORK &mdash; Ian Anderson took a shutout into the seventh inning, Austin Riley homered and the Atlanta Braves scraped by with just four hits to beat punchless New York Yankees 4-1 Wednesday night. </p>
<p>Corey Kluber (0-2) kept New York in it with his best start yet in pinstripes, but the Yankees lost for the sixth time in seven games due to a star-studded lineup that has almost entirely spaced out. </p>
<p>Anderson (1-0) limited the Yankees to four hits and four walks in 6 2/3 innings, striking out four against the club he also beat in his major league debut last season. The 22-year-old right-hander threw 97 pitches as temperatures dipped into the low 40s in the late innings.</p>
<p>New York loaded the bases against Anderson with two outs in the seventh, but reliever A.J. Minter got DJ LeMahieu to hit an inning-ending grounder to third. Will Smith allowed a run in the ninth but closed out the five-hitter.</p>
<p>The suddenly listless Bronx Bombers are hitting .163 in their past seven games, averaging 2.57 runs, with nearly half the lineup stuck in a serious slump.</p>
<p>At 6-11, the Yankees are off to their worst start since 1991. Their 58 runs are fewest in the AL and their slugging percentage is the lowest in the major leagues.</p>
<p>Giancarlo Stanton had a 117.3 mph lineout but went hitless, dropping to 3 for his last 34. Gleyber Torres had a hit but is just 4 for his last 32 with 1 RBI this season. Aaron Hicks is in a 1-for-17 rut, although he walked twice. Clint Frazier blooped a ninth-inning single to break a 1-for-27 slide, picking up his first RBI of the season in his 45th plate appearance.</p>
<p>Gio Urshela — among the few Yankees swinging the bat well — was lifted in the top of the eighth with lower back tightness. He ran gingerly to first on an inning-ending double play in the sixth. Manager Aaron Boone said the injury does not appear to be serious and no tests are planned.</p>
<p>The Yankees’ pitching has been better, and Kluber (0-2) had his best start since signing an $11 million, one-year free agent deal. He was charged with two runs, two hits and four walks over 4 2/3 innings, throwing 91 pitches.</p>
<p>The two-time AL Cy Young Award winner was sharp until the fifth, when he allowed a single, three walks and Ehire Adrianza’s sacrifice fly before leaving with two outs, the bases loaded and Atlanta up 1-0. Nick Nelson relieved and walked Marcell Ozuna on four pitches to make it 2-0 before striking out Travis d’Arnaud.</p>
<p>New York’s defense faltered in the seventh, letting Atlanta go ahead 3-0. First baseman Mike Ford misjudged Riley’s popup leading off, resulting in a single, and Riley advanced when second baseman LeMahieu was charged with an error for bobbling Guillermo Heredia’s grounder.</p>
<p>After a sacrifice bunt and an intentional walk to Freddie Freeman, Riley scored when Ozuna beat out a potential double-play despite having his bat splintered by reliever Luis Cessa.</p>
<p>Ozuna was 0 for 4 but had two RBIs. Riley was the only player in the game with two hits — including a leadoff homer against Brooks Kriske in the ninth — and also walked twice. </p>
<p>Riley was also hit by a ball in the mouth in the third inning but stayed in the game. Frazier made a diving catch to rob Adrianza of a hit then tried to double Riley off at first, and his throw hit Riley in the lips. Riley was visited by a trainer but stayed in the game.</p>
<p>TRAINER’S ROOM</p>
<p>Braves: OF Ronald Acuña Jr. was held out of the lineup for a second straight day with a mild abdominal strain. He hit off a tee pregame and is progressing, but manager Brian Snitker wasn’t sure if he’d be ready for the team’s next game Friday. … LHP Drew Smyly (left forearm pain) will start Saturday. </p>
<p>Yankees: New York expects to have 85% of its players, coaches and staff with Tier 1 access fully vaccinated soon. The club reached roughly 84% Wednesday, 14 days after the bulk of the team was given its shots, but a few staff members were inoculated at a later date. Once that second batch achieves full vaccination, New York will become exempt from certain safety restrictions and protocols put in place by Major League Baseball.</p>
<p>UP NEXT</p>
<p>Braves: RHP Huascar Ynoa (0-1, 3.94) faces Diamondbacks RHP Luke Weaver (1-1, 3.78) to open a three-game home set Friday night.</p>
<p>Yankees: RHP Domingo Germán (0-2, 9.00) returns from the alternate site to make his third start after missing all of 2020 serving a ban for violating MLB’s domestic violence policy. He’ll face the Indians and RHP Aaron Civale (3-0, 2.18) in the opener of a four-game series at Cleveland.</p>
<hr />
<p>Follow Jake Seiner: <a href="https://twitter.com/Jake_Seiner">https://twitter.com/Jake_Seiner</a></p>
<hr />
<p>More AP MLB: <a href="https://apnews.com/hub/MLB">https://apnews.com/hub/MLB</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/AP_Sports">https://twitter.com/AP_Sports</a></p>